Fine Arts: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Arts

Description

The Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Arts degree program provides students with comprehensive knowledge and practice in the field of visual arts. The core of the degree is a strong studio curriculum focusing on the ideas and technical processes of producing contemporary art. The Fine Arts curriculum is complemented through access to a broad liberal arts education emphasizing the development of effective academic writing, verbal communication, and presentation skills.

Grounded in theory and practice, students develop aesthetic judgment, professional knowledge, disciplinary expertise, and the collaborative critical thinking skills required to prepare them for direct entry into today's creative economy.

The diverse needs of visual arts students are met in a vibrant environment with outstanding facilities, studios, exhibition spaces, visiting artists, student exchange programs, and opportunities for working with the community. Personal and professional development is encouraged as the degree prepares students to be practicing artists and contributing global citizens.

Key features of the B.F.A., Visual Arts degree include the following:

An emphasis on contemporary studio arts in two-dimensional (drawing, painting, print media, photography, digital media), three-dimensional (sculpture, ceramics, installation), and performance art.
A thorough grounding in modern and contemporary art history and critical theory that helps students explore issues in their own work and that of others.
A commitment to a student-centred teaching environment, small class sizes, and easy access to qualified faculty working and contributing in their field of practice and research.
The preparation of students for entry into the cultural industries and creative economies sector of the labour market through incorporation of essential skills training into the curriculum, including cross-disciplinary applications of studio, art history and theory, and practice.
Focus on theoretical, methodological, and applied understanding and skills required for employment and/or further studies in postgraduate education programs.
A solid liberal arts background that will prepare students to be creative and critical thinkers.
Dedicated studio space for 4th year B.F.A. students.

The B.F.A. Visual Arts degree offers first and second year studio courses in the areas of drawing, painting, digital media, photography, print media, ceramics, and sculpture. Courses in art history, visual culture and theory, and professional practices support the foundation years' studio offerings. These foundation courses are designed to develop expertise in a number of disciplines and offer a combination of technical knowledge, creative thinking, and critical content. There is flexibility within the structure of the program that allows students in third and fourth year to continue to explore foundation level, studio electives. This allows upper-level students to continue to broaden their artistic understanding and skills that, in turn, inform their third and fourth year art practice.

The rigorous foundation that students gain upon completion of the first two years of the degree requirements prepares them for a productive experience as they move to the upper level courses in the third and fourth years of the degree. The core of our advanced studio courses is an open format where students are able to work in a variety of disciplines within the same course. The student will work with a single or cross-disciplinary approach depending on their critical and creative concerns. The final two semesters of the fourth year allows students to focus a greater amount of research on their personal art practice, culminating in their final exhibition. This strong upper-level studio core of the degree is supported by courses in a variety of areas. Art History continues to offer curriculum in the upper levels concentrating on specific art movements and special topics courses that directly complement studio offerings, while students also have access to special topics within the studio arts that prepare them for more focused engagement in both creative and professional pursuits.

Admission Requirements

The Faculty's Admission Requirements, which consist of KPU's undergraduate English Proficiency Requirement, apply to this program.

Declaration Requirements

Students intending to graduate with this Faculty of Arts Bachelor’s degree must declare the credential by the time they complete 60 credits of undergraduate coursework. At the time of declaration, the student must satisfy all of the following requirements:

In good academic standing with the University
Completion of a minimum of 18 credits of undergraduate coursework, including the following with a minimum grade of “C”:
- 3 credits of ENGL at the 1100 level or higher
- 15 credits of FINA or ARTH courses, including ARTH 1121, FINA 1100, FINA 1167, and FINA 1175

Curricular Requirements

Students will achieve a B.F.A., Visual Arts by completing a minimum of 120 credit hours with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0, plus a minimum grade of ‘C’ in all required courses. Successful entry into third year “Advanced Studio and Seminar I” will require a CGPA of 2.0 or higher plus a minimum grade of ‘B-’ in one second year studio course. In addition to satisfying all the essential requirements listed, students must complete at least 96 of the 120 credits in FINA/ARTH subjects, and at least 42 credits of FINA/ARTH at the 3rd and 4th year levels.

Note: A first-year English course, ENGL 1100, is a requirement of this program. This course has prerequisites that may require a student to complete additional preparatory courses.

The following are program requirements of the B.F.A., Visual Arts:

6-credit writing requirement comprising ARTH 1120 and an ENGL course numbered 1100 or higher to be completed within the first 60 credits taken.
24-credit breadth requirement consisting of courses outside of Fine Arts (FINA) and Art History (ARTH). Students will choose electives according to their interests from the Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences, Mathematics, Business, Trades and Technology. A minimum of nine credits must be taken from the Humanities area (including English 1100).

All FINA/ARTH courses are 3 credits except FINA 4300 and 4400, which are both 6 credits.

1000 and 2000 Level

In the first 60 credits of the BFA program, all students must complete:

All of:
	ARTH 1120	History of Western Art: Prehistoric to Early Renaissance	3 credits
	ARTH 1121	History of Western Art: Renaissance to the 20th Century	3 credits
	One ENGL course numbered 1100 or higher		3 credits
	FINA 1100	Introduction to Drawing	3 credits
	FINA 1167	Introduction to Visual Culture: Look Now!	3 credits
	FINA 1175	Form, Structure and Materials	3 credits
	FINA 1200	Drawing II	3 credits
	FINA 2147	Issues in Contemporary Art I	3 credits
And at least 27 of 1000 and 2000 level studio electives:
	FINA 1110	Introduction to Painting	3 credits
	FINA 1130	Ceramics I	3 credits
	FINA 1131	Sculpture I	3 credits
	FINA 1135	Introduction to Digital Media	3 credits
	FINA 1142	Introduction to Print Media	3 credits
	FINA 1145	Monotype – The Painted Print	3 credits
	FINA 1170	Introduction to Film Photography	3 credits
	FINA 1210	Painting II	3 credits
	FINA 1230	Ceramics II	3 credits
	FINA 1231	Sculpture II	3 credits
	FINA 1242	Print Media II	3 credits
	FINA1270	Photography II	3 credits
	FINA 2135	Digital Media: Design in Contemporary Art	3 credits
	FINA 2235	Digital Media: Interactive Art on the Web	3 credits
	FINA 2270	Digital Photography	3 credits
	FINA 2300	Advanced Drawing I	3 credits
	FINA 2310	Advanced Painting I	3 credits
	FINA 2330	Ceramics III	3 credits
	FINA 2331	Sculpture III	3 credits
	FINA 2335	Digital Media: Video and Installation	3 credits
	FINA 2342	Advanced Print Media	3 credits
	FINA 2370	Photography III	3 credits
	FINA 2400	Advanced Drawing II	3 credits
	FINA 2410	Advanced Painting II	3 credits
	FINA 2430	Ceramics IV	3 credits
	FINA 2431	Sculpture IV	3 credits
	FINA 2442	Print Media IV	3 credits
	Including at least 3 credits of ARTH:
	ARTH 1130	Introduction to Film Studies	3 credits
	ARTH 2122	Art in Flux: The Modern period	3 credits
	ARTH 2124	Indigenous Art	3 credits
	ARTH 2126	Canadian Art	3 credits
	ARTH 2222	Art:1945 to the Present	3 credits

3000 and 4000 Level

In order to satisfy the requirements of the BFA, Visual Arts program, students must complete at least 42 upper-level ARTH/FINA credits of study including the following required courses:

All of:
	FINA 3100	Advanced Studio Practice and Seminar I	3 credits
	FINA 3111	Professional Practices	3 credits
	FINA 3200	Advanced Studio Practice and Seminar II	3 credits
	FINA 4300	Advanced Studio Practice and Thesis I	6 credits
	FINA 4400	Advanced Studio Practice and Thesis II	6 credits
And at least 6 credits of 3000/4000 ARTH:
	ARTH 3100	Special Topics in Art History (rotating topics, may be taken multiple times)	3 credits
	ARTH 3121	Italian Renaissance and Mannerist Art	3 credits
	ARTH 3122	Art and the Age of Revolution	3 credits
	ARTH 3130	Film and the City	3 credits
	ARTH 3140	History of Photography	3 credits
	ARTH 3150	New Media in Art	3 credits
And at least 12 credits of 3000 level studio electives selected from the following:
	FINA 3110	Introduction to Curatorial Studies	3 credits
	FINA 3112	Public Art: Theory and Practice	3 credits
	FINA 3113	Subversive Art	3 credits
	FINA 3131	Wall Works	3 credits
	FINA 3133	Forming Stories	3 credits
	FINA 3135	Advanced Digital Media: Open Studio I	3 credits
	FINA 3147	Issues in Contemporary Art II	3 credits
	FINA 3150	Telling Lies Again - Making Narrative Art	3 credits
	FINA 3170	Advanced Film Photography	3 credits
	FINA 3201	Artistic practice in the Community	3 credits
	FINA 3202	Special Topics in Studio Arts (rotating topics, may be taken multiple times)	3 credits
	FINA 3235	Advanced Digital Media: Open Studio 2	3 credits
	FINA 3270	Advanced Digital Photography	3 credits
	FINA 3280	Performance Art I	3 credits
	FINA 3380	Performance Art II	3 credits

Notes:

Courses will be offered on a rotating basis (i.e. not all courses will be available in a given year). KPU will ensure, however, that the necessary requirement of courses will be offered for a student to graduate in a four-year period.
If you plan to earn a BFA degree from KPU, please review the list of BFA required lower level courses and consult an Arts degree advisor if you have questions about planning your program of studies.
Students coming from another accredited institution should apply for transfer credit to obtain credits that could be applied to the BFA degree.
Students may apply to graduate with a Certificate or Diploma in Fine Arts as they complete requirements for those credentials while pursuing a BFA degree.
If you choose to opt out of the BFA degree program during the course of your studies, you may choose to apply for our Certificate or Diploma programs, and receive either of these credentials.